Metamorphosis: Man to Monster
by horton the elephant
Summary: Harry has acquired all of Lord Voldemort's memories of his life in battle with him. Join Harry as he tells us what happened to Tom Riddle, and how he changed from a scared little boy to a crazed murderous monster. First chapter is by far the shortest.
1. The Story Begins

**A/N: This is a really short chapter, it is kind of the prologue. Please read and review and enjoy.  
**

A tall gangly boy of seventeen, with dark hair and eyes that of which were emerald green stood an inch from death on a battlefield of blood and death. He had endured the most painful and trying event ever in his short lifetime: _He had defeated Lord Voldemort_. Yet, he didn't seem so happy about it, he should have been, but he wasn't.

"What's wrong, Harry?" His bushy-haired friend, Hermione, asked him.

"Yeah, mate, you're looking rather down." His best friend Ron said.

"I dunno it's just… well, weird. Don't you think so?" Harry muttered. "Yeah, yeah it is. He's finally gone, and now what do we have?" He continued.

"Each other. Harry, we three survived the biggest genocide in the history of the world. We still have each other and lives to live out." Hermione answered.

"Exactly, Hermione, what would we have done without each other, Harry?" Ron said.

"I don't know. I just wish none of this had happened." Harry mumbled.

"You wish that Voldemort hadn't died?" Ron asked incredulously.

"No, I just wish he hadn't lived. The only reason he killed was because he was afraid of death. He allowed his fear to fester and by doing that people feared him." Harry finished.

"Harry, how do you know that?" Hermione questioned.

"I saw it in his head, when we were battling and I blocked one of his Legilimens attacks." Harry answered.

"How much do you know about Voldemort?" Hermione voiced.

"I know everything." Harry attested. And with a deep breath he started one of his greatest stories yet…

_On the frostiest, whitest day in all of winter, December Thirty-First, a young woman with child in peasant's clothing knocked loudly on the oak door of St. Joseph's Orphanage of London. A portly woman, in nun's attire, answered the door. The pregnant woman and the nun conversed quietly and the nun let in the pregnant woman and she closed the large and thick oak doors behind them._

"_Oh thank you for letting me in—I'm sorry, but I do not know your name." The pregnant woman said in the warmth of the orphanage. _

"_I am Sister Ruth, and I am glad you came to our humble abode, Madame." Sister Ruth said graciously. _

_The pregnant woman was about to say a word of thanks when she started breathing sharp, fast breaths._

"_Oh my. Oh my, you are in labor. Quick we need to get you to the nurse!" Sister Ruth rushed._

_The odd pair of women bustled down the hallway as fast as they could. They stopped in front of a door that had a small plaque that said 'Nurse'. Sister Ruth rapped her fist three times on the door when it was opened by an old woman with grey wispy hair and a very sour disposition. _

"_I told you, Sister that— oh my, in labor are we? Oh my, oh my." There was a moment of silence as the nurse thought to herself. " Well get in here you two!" She snapped out of her reverie and gestured them into a cramped room with yellow walls and a lamp by the bed-stand. _

_The pregnant woman quickly fell into the bed and began to breathe quicker and more loudly. _

"_Take it easy, missy." The nurse said. "You have to breathe slow deep breaths."_

_She started to breathe_ _more slowly, but then she let out a loud gasp of pain._

"_The baby is coming!" _

_-Several hours later-_

"_That's a pity the poor woman died. What was her name again?" The nurse asked Sister Ruth._

"_Her name was Merope Gaunt Riddle." The nun whispered._

"_That was good that she named the boy before she died. If it was up to me, I might have named him Abraham or Malachi." The nurse continued. "It is sad, that she named her child after her husband and he left her." _

"_I have a bad, gut feeling that this boy will lead a sad life." Sister Ruth finished the conversation, walking briskly holding the boy in her arms._

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this! Further installments will include horcruxes, Chamber of Secrets, Hogwarts, etc. Please give me any thoughts or ideas you have on this in a review.  
**


	2. Accidental Magic

"You mean to say that the Dark Lord's mum just died off? She quit living?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Well yeah, that's what I said." Harry responded.

"But why? None of this" Ron gestured at the bloody battlefield and corpses, "would have happened if she had given her son half a chance."

"Ron, her son reminded her of losing her husband, a husband that hadn't really fallen in love with her, a husband that wasn't in his right mind." Hermione said quietly.

_Several years have passed since that frosty day that Tom Riddle was born. He is five years old now; he lives in the orphanage with other children. Young Tom has a stringy, wiry arms and legs, his hair is thin and dark, his eyes are black and unreadable, and, like any other five year old boy, short. He detests living in the orphanage and he hates the other children that reside there also. The only thing that seems to make young Tom happy is thinking about his father, and how life would have been with him and his mother, he is completely oblivious that his biological father despises him and his kind. Also, he doesn't understand that his mother gave up on Tom, shortly after his birth, because he reminded her of her loss, something that never really had belonged to her, her husband. Someone once said ignorance is bliss, and for Tom it was true. _

_The season is fall, it had rained many times during the month, but this day was different. The air was crisp and clear, and leaves of all colors had fallen off their trees and clothed the ground. Today was October Thirty-First, Halloween…_

_KLING-KLONG! KLING-KLONG! KLONG-KLING! KLONG-KLING! The deep sounding bell awoke the young boys and girls who resided in the orphanage. The young boys in Tom Riddle's room were speaking excitedly. _

"_Are you excited for Halloween?" _

"_How much candy do you think we'll get this year?" _

"_My favorites are the taffies." _

"_I like the caramel." _

"_The lollipops are my favorite." _

_Tom got up slowly and took off his pajamas, getting ready for the day. "Tom aren't you excited? It's Halloween!" Piped little Bradley, who had curly brown hair and dark eyes, he was littler than all the other boys and more annoying._

"_Sort of," Tom answered. "It's just that I never get as much candy as anyone else." _

"_What are you talking about? Everyone gets the same. Sister Ruth says that every year." Said Colin, he was taller than Tom, and only said this because he got more than everyone, because he took the other boys' candy. _

_Tom didn't say anything, but raised his eyebrow. He was one of Colin's favorite victims. _

"_Get up! Get dressed! Chores than breakfast! Hurry up children!" It was the nurse. She was getting more senile and cranky every day. None of the boys liked her, in fact nobody liked her. _

"_All right, ma'am." The boys said in unison._

_Tom liked doing his chores more than anything else during the day, it was the only time that he had to himself to think and daydream. It wasn't the cleaning that he liked, but the time he had alone that he enjoyed. Today he was in charge of sweeping the boys' section. _

_The activities that happened during the day took place in different areas of the orphanage. The kitchen and eating area were on the first floor, along with the greeting hall and living quarters for the nurse and sisters. The second story was where the boys and girls lived; the boys lived on the left side, girls were on the right side. There was an attic and a basement for storage (or so the children thought), but none of the children were allowed in there. They had chapel every Friday morning, but few of the children could actually understand God would leave them in an orphanage, so most believed that God didn't love them. _

_As Tom was sweeping, he thought of his father, who (in Tom's mind) was tall and handsome with dark hair and eyes like himself, and smiled a lot. He thought of his mother as a beautiful woman with blonde-red hair and blue eyes, with a sweet disposition. _

"_One day, Dad is gonna come by here and say, 'Tom, it's time my boy. We're off.' And I'm going to be done with this place, forever." Tom whispered dreamily. He started dancing with the broom he had._

_Tom continued, "Then I'll ask Dad where we're going, he'll say in his low sweet voice, 'Home, Tom.' I'll be expecting to go home in a car or taxi, but there will be an airplane in the middle of the street, and Dad will hop in and give me a helmet that fits just right…"_

_Tom often did this. It was the only thing he took joy in. He wasn't good at sports, the food wasn't tasty, he had no friends and he didn't want any either. So he stuck to dreaming, and reading, that he was also good at._

"_Still mooning over your parents, Riddle?" Colin said behind Tom. _

"_Leave me alone, Colin." Tom said quietly._

"_Ooh, leave me alone Colin." Colin mimicked. "Live in the now, your parents are never coming back. They're dead, or happy without you."_

"_Shut up, Colin." Tom was getting angry._

"_You actually believe that your parents are coming back for you, Riddle? That's dumb." Colin tantalized._

"_Shut up! Just shut up or I'll-" Tom was interrupted._

"_Or you'll what?" Colin taunted._

_Tom's eyes flashed a crimson color for a moment, he was quiet, but there was a smirk on his face. _

"_What the- What are you doing? Get me down, Riddle!" Colin was in the air, upside-down._

"_Take it back, Colin." Tom's voice was raspy, but had joy in it._

_After several seconds of silence, Colin collided with the wall. His head hit hard, and there was a loud thud, as his body fell to the ground._

"_You should have taken it back, Colin." Tom said over Colin's body, as Colin lay shaking._

"_Ss-Ss-Sorry Tom, I'll never do it again." Colin stuttered, tears falling down his face._

_Tom turned briskly, taking the broom with him. He put the broom away quietly, and ran back to where Colin was. Tom put Colin in his bed, he dampened his forehead with a sponge, and left him shaking under the sheets._

_Instead of going to breakfast, Tom walked quickly to the nurse's office. He rapped the door hard with his knuckles several times, and the nurse came out._

"_What do you want, Tom? I'm busy." She said._

"_It's Colin. I think he has a fever." Tom said cunningly._

"_Where is he?" _

"_He's in his bed. He isn't feeling well." Tom lied._

_The nurse quickly walked up the stairs to the boys' room, to see Colin shivering and shaking._

"_You're warm, Colin. It'd be best if you didn't participate in Halloween tonight." The nurse reasoned._

_Colin groaned loudly, but didn't argue with the nurse, because he could see Tom smirking in the shadows by the door to the boys' room._


	3. Pain and Power

**Hey friends! It is good to see you all here reading which is a wonderful mental exercise. I'm such a geek sometimes. Anyway. Please have fun reading this chapter christened "Pain and Power" it was fun for me to write so enjoy reading it please! A/N: I don't own any of this, because I am not J.K.R. , but I do own an iPod (those things are super cool.) I don't own Tom Riddle or Mrs. Cole or Billy or the rabbit they are all not mine. Please read, review and enjoy Chapter Three...  
**_  
_

_Many years have passed since Tom Riddle tormented Colin for the first time._ Yes, he has done similar things to Colin and the other children since then. Now he is not overlooked or mistreated by his peers, because he is a spiteful bully with an unquenchable rage in his heart. Maybe it has something to do with what Mrs. Cole had told him several days ago on New Year's Eve…

The orphanage was celebrating New Year's, and since it was the season there was tinsel and ribbon and Father Christmas and reindeer decorations on the walls. Boys and girls were singing carols and others played games, there wasn't a frown to be seen. Of course Tom wasn't truly in a celebrative mood. This only meant to him that he wouldn't have had to do chores today, because it was his eleventh birthday.

_Another year wasted away, another dream gone. Perhaps it's true that he'll never come back._ Tom had always secretly wished that his father would come and take him away from the orphanage, the most detestable place on the earth. But he never had, a bitter defeat in itself, his father had never come to rescue him.

Tom could see Mrs. Cole staring at him strangely out of the corner of his eye. It must be because Tom had bullied the other children, well of course she couldn't prove it, but he had. Tom turned to see that Mrs. Cole had walked up to him.

"Hello, Tom." She said coolly.

"Hello, Mrs. Cole." Tom replied in a seemingly innocent tone.

"Tom, I need to speak to you about something important." Mrs. Cole was nearly whispering. "Follow me."

Mrs. Cole walked quickly for an aging woman, Tom walked right behind her to the nurse's office.

"Why are we going to the nurse's office, Mrs. Cole?" Tom asked.

She didn't answer. Instead she just opened the door and turned on the lights. There was a sort of odd silence hanging in the room.

Tom cleared his throat.

Mrs. Cole woke out of her reverie. "Oh, right. Sorry dear, I was thinking." Mrs. Cole started. "I didn't think you were old enough to hear what I am about to tell you until today. Today eleven years ago your mother came walking up our steps looking for shelter and help, she near fainted on the porch. Anyway, we let her in with open arms. It wasn't the first time something had happened like that. I was the one who escorted her in here, where she had you."

Mrs. Cole continued, "You may not know however that she named you after your father, Tom Riddle and your grandfather, Marvolo. Your mother's name was Merope Gaunt Riddle. She died shortly after giving you birth."

It couldn't sink in. His mother was dead? All his fantasies seemed horribly ironic now, looking back. His mother had never loved him, of course she hadn't. Death had been the only way out of knowing him. Oh and his father…

"And… what… what about my dad? What happened to him?" Tom asked shakily, stuttering.

"I don't know Tom. He never came here, probably doesn't know where you are, I expect." Mrs. Cole answered quietly.

"What was she like? My mother, what was she like?" Tom asked, a tear falling down his cheek, a tear of rage. _She left me! She hates me! I hate her! She left me!_

"I don't rightly know. She seemed poor, she seemed sad, she seemed done. But I don't know, Tom." The old woman said, she tried to put her arm around Tom's shoulder, but he quickly stood up.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cole. I think I am going to turn in, I am really tired." Tom quickly left the nurse's office leaving Mrs. Cole to her thoughts.

Tom was in a rage. _My mother! She left me all alone in this place! She deserted me! I hate her! _Tom yelled in his head, knocking down a portrait of St. George in his blind-anger. _My mother left me all alone in this ugly place! I thought I was special, but it turns out I'm despised. By my own mother!_ Tom stomped his feet, he made strange shrieking noises that never left his mouth, his hands clenched and unclenched looking for a throat to tear out. _And my father! He left me! He didn't even bother looking for me! Oh what an idiot I was! I don't want to be his son. He left me! I needed him and he stabbed me in my heart! It's as if her death and his betrayal are brand new. I hate them!_

Tom found his room, amazingly enough, with all those tears of hate and rage in his eyes. "I hate them!" Tom screamed at the top of his lungs. "I hate them!"

Beds were swirling by the ceiling, racing by each other. The windows broke of their own accord and the floors creaked threateningly. The whole house was shaking and then it stopped. Everything stopped, the beds fell back into their prearranged spots, the floor was stable and the house seemed whole again. Yet, something was different with Tom. There was a red glint in his eye that hadn't been there before, what was it?

"If I find my father, he will die as surely as he is dead to me now." It was strange to hear the maniacal laughter come out of a handsome eleven year old. But of course no one could hear him since they were all down stairs.

The door creaked, surely it wasn't Tom again? No it couldn't be. His eyes were dark and unreadable again, his face had composure, and only the broken windows hinted that his heart was dark, twisted, and sinister.

The door was completely open now, and a boy with a cardboard box with holes at the top walked in. He had brown curly hair, freckles, fair skin, and hazel eyes. "Hey, Tom." Billy said quietly.

"Hi, Billy, what do you have there? Let me take a look." Tom said in a commanding voice.

"Sorry, Tom it's just that, well I just rescued it from the cold. It has to sleep and get warm." Billy reasoned.

"You won't let your dear friend, Tom, take a peak to see what's inside?" Tom asked in a sly deceiving tone.

"Well, maybe just a little sneak." Billy said dreamily, handing Tom the cardboard box.

Tom ripped the top of the box of to reveal… a bunny rabbit. A look of pleasure was on Tom's face. He reached down to harass the poor animal.

"No! That's enough Tom. She has to sleep." Billy interfered.

"Alright then," Tom walked away uncaring.

Billy put the lid back on the box of his precious pet. He walked behind Tom, and then stopped.

"Tom, why were you crying?" Billy asked innocently.

"I wasn't crying, Billy." Tom answered.

"I heard you. You were laughing too. Why were you laughing?" Billy questioned.

"I wasn't." Tom replied.

"And why were the windows broken? Did you do that?" Billy asked.

"It wasn't me." Tom said flatly.

"It had to have been, it wasn't broken before you were in there-"

"Look, shut up. Shut up or I'll do you in and you won't want to have befriended that stupid little rabbit." Tom threatened.

"What'd I do?" Billy kept on.

Tom stared at Billy for a moment, his hands were clenching and unclenching, oh how he wanted to wrap his hands around Billy's throat…

It was early in the morning, so early it was still dark out. Tom woke up silently to see that no one had awoke yet. His eyes spotted Billy's rabbit's box. That sickening smile filled with pleasure and hate and lust was on his face again, and his eyes had turned crimson.

The squeal of the rabbit had greatly pleased Tom. As the rabbit had slowly turned quiet, Tom's veins filled with power and revenge. _He longed to do this again, the sickening pleasure of power tempted him greatly…_

**A/N: Hope all you guys enjoyed reading that. I thought it was pretty good but it was scary too in a way. Please tell me how you felt about this chapter, feel free to correct, constructively criticise, give me your thoughts, ideas and compliments in a beautiful review from you, the reader. Thanks for reading this chapter of Metamorphosis- Man to Monster Chapter Four shall be coming your way soon.**  



	4. The Cave of Beginnings

"He killed a rabbit?" Ron muttered, disbelieving.

"He killed a rabbit!" Hermione failed to comprehend.

"He killed a rabbit." Harry stated.

"He was mad even then. He was evil as an eleven year old." Harry told them.

The grounds were still crimson with blood, but the bodies had been taken away. It was still a mess, but it was an empty mess. The skies were foreboding and dark, but anyone who bothered to look up could see the sun behind a dark, black cloud; as if to symbolize that greater things would come after the gloomy times that everyone had had to endure. Many people were mourning, but owls and birds could be heard singing a gay chorus of joy.

"It was a day like today…" Harry trailed off.

"Excuse me, Harry, what were you saying?" Hermione asked in an overprotective tone.

"It was a day like today…" Harry started to tell the story again.

_Several months have passed since Tom's first murder and his magical outburst of anger and hatred. _Yes, Tom has bullied kids since then, but much more secretively. He has been keeping his powers in check, which is very strange since he feels such strong, powerful emotions.

Tom is an abnormality in the orphanage, he is the bully, but he is still the odd man out. He is the black sheep, but he seemed to like the attention he got from his peers and superiors. Children would often speak about him when he passed them in a hallway, or at mealtimes. Many of the adults would baby him, because they didn't want him to grow to be sour.

The heavens were dark and gloomy, the clouds threatened the earth over head. The day was chilly and cool, and although the afternoon was to be spent at a beach, the orphans didn't look to happy.

"I'm sorry children, but we can't go to the beach in this awful weather. If the sun comes out, then we will go to the beach. I promise." Mrs. Cole said who had constantly been badgered with questions by children who wanted to go to the beach.

"But you promised!" Exclaimed a cute little girl, with blonde hair, she was barely three years old.

"Yeah! You said that we could go to the beach!" Piped little Bradley, his eyes filled with excitement.

"Come on, Mrs. Cole. Please let us go." Another orphan spoke out.

At least a dozen orphans were badgering Mrs. Cole, when Tom walked up to her. Everybody was silent, afraid that Tom would unleash his wrath. Mrs. Cole seemed motherly as she looked down on him.

"May we _please_ go? You did _promise_ Mrs. Cole." Tom slyly was convincing her.

Just then the stormy thunder clouds turned to vapor, miraculously. The sun in all its white brilliance came out, smiling downwards at them all.

"Now, can we go, Mrs. Cole? The sun _is_ out now." Tom again asked.

"Alright." Mrs. Cole sighed in defeat.

The orphans cheered joyously in celebrative voices.

An hour later…

The children were enjoying themselves tremendously. The sun was warm and inviting with the soft rays and the spray of the sea couldn't be anymore refreshing. The little ones dug in the sand, and the others looked at the tide pools to see the sea life that resided there, such as sea stars, anemones, and hermit crabs. But a couple of the older children had seen all this before and wanted to do something new. They wanted to have an adventure.

Two children such as these were Dennis Bishop and Amy Benson. They were both around eleven or ten years old and the same twinkle of excitement and adventure in their eyes.

"So what should we do, Amy?" Dennis asked politely.

"I dunno, we've already been to the tide pools." Amy answered.

"And we did climb up that little rock cliff." Dennis added.

"Why don't we go into _the_ cave?" A third voice asked.

Amy and Dennis were quite surprised to hear a third voice and looked frightened to see… it was Tom Riddle.

"Um… Tom, just Amy and me wanted to go; for an adventure, no hard feelings." Dennis stuck out his hand.

Tom, of course, did not take it. "Fine, leave me out. It's not like I wanted to hang out with you two anyway."

Tom bowed his head in sadness, of course he was just acting sad, but he was very good at it, and thoroughly convinced Amy that he was a tad heartbroken to be excluded.

He started walking away from the pair of them when Amy ran up to him, "Tom, you can come with us if you want." _You fool, you are so predictable. Do all people act this way? Are they all stupid and easily misled? _Tom had thought of something he hadn't ever understood before. _They are all so gullible, and naïve. I wonder, are all people like this, or just the weak ones?_

"Thanks, Amy." Tom smiled weakly; he was quite the smooth talker.

They walked a-ways, the cove was further down the beach, both Amy and Dennis were anxious, but Tom seemed cool and calm.

"Are you sure, you want to go in there? It's supposed to be haunted." Amy whimpered.

"Yeah, maybe it would be best if we played rugby or something with the others-" Dennis was interrupted by a wave of Tom's hand.

"It will be fine, Dennis." Tom said convincingly.

Tom, Amy, and Dennis stopped at the mouth of the dark cave. Amy and Dennis were shaking almost uncontrollably, eyes screwed up in fear.

"I don't think we should-" Amy started to say.

"Get in, both of you, _now_." Tom commanded, and they listened.

The cave was moist, and the drip drop of precipitation fell from the ceiling. The sound of fast breathing could be heard ahead, where Amy and Dennis were. They were whispering about something.

"Amy, I have a bad feeling about this." Dennis whispered.

"Me too, it seems more sinister than any regular old cave." Amy answered back.

"Do you think it has to do with-" Dennis started.

"Tom." Amy finished, looking at the dark haired individual strangely.

"Let's get out of here." Dennis said loudly enough for Tom to hear.

"No! I mean, we haven't finished looked around yet." Tom said from across the room.

"Come over here! I want to show you something." He pointed at the murky water that filled the bottom of the cave next to the opening.

Amy and Dennis looked at the lagoon to see that Tom was staring at their reflections intently, his eyes were crimson they were full of anger.

Stalactites and stalagmites suddenly decorated the ceiling and walls of the cave, it seemed as though if you moved so much as an inch you'd be impaled by them. They were crowding the three of them, but Tom didn't seem to notice.

"Help, oh my, help! We're trapped!" Amy started to scream, noticing that she was indeed surrounded by the threatening spears.

"They're growing! We're going to be crushed!" Dennis started to yell also, noticing that they were steadily coming downward…

"What do you think I am, stupid? I know you didn't want me to come, I know how you and the others whisper about me. Well, you should be afraid! I have power that none of you can challenge." Tom's voice boomed across the cave, sounding menacing and gargantuan.

"I'm… sorry, Tom." Amy apologized.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too." Dennis agreed.

_These fools! How can they think that a mere apology will stop my wrath! They are so stupid to not realize that I hate all of them, I hate everyone. I _want _them all dead. _The water level was rising, it was rising so fast. The water would surely drown them all. Tom started to walk out, saying, "Well, see you."

"Amy! Dennis! Tom! Where are you?" The loud voice was owned by Mrs. Cole, she was at the mouth of the cave.

Amy's and Dennis's eyes were filled with relief when they heard Mrs. Cole. Tom started to walk back towards them, his eyes were black and unreadable again. Suddenly, they were free, the water had resided, the stalactites and stalagmites had shrunk, but Amy and Dennis were scarred. They were shaking with fear, there were tears on their faces, and dread in their eyes.

Mrs. Cole ran up to them. "I was so worried about you three. What's the matter, Amy? Dennis?" Mrs. Cole asked in a motherly tone.

"What happened, Tom?" She asked assertively, knowing full well it had been him who caused this. This wasn't the first time something queer had happened to one of the orphans.

"Nothing. I swear we were just exploring, then I went into the next cave over, and I came back. They were just like this." Tom answered convincingly.

"Amy, Dennis? Is that true? What really happened?" Amy and Dennis didn't answer Mrs. Cole.

_This will not be the last. No, I will not be downtrodden any more. I hate them. I hate them all! They will fear and follow me. They will do what I tell them. This is the beginning, the beginning of my reign of power… _


	5. Magic Encounter

**Hey all! Good to see you here again, it is good to know some people like this story! A/N: I don't own any of the things you recognize, and if some of you guys are wondering why everything looks familiar, that's because a lot of dialogue from HBP was used in this chapter, the chapter in Half-Blood is called 'The Secret Riddle.' Yep, I don't own this. Please enjoy, read and _REVIEW!_** **Here is Ch. 5, Magic Encounter. **

"Bloody hell." Ron whispered, "Bloody hell, bloody hell, bloody hell."

"Ron, you really shouldn't curse." Hermione budged in.

"He almost killed two kids at the age of eleven, Hermione! He was evil!" Ron was near tears.

"Ron, why are you crying?" Hermione asked softly.

"He freaking killed my family, Hermione. To hear that, it's just not a walk in the park for me. He tortured two kids!" Ron was bawling now.

"Ron, it's okay. Everything's going to be alright now. It is over, Voldemort's gone." Harry gave Ron a pat on the back.

"Okay." Ron's lip was still quivering, Hermione held him in a tight embrace.

_Since that sinister day in the cave Tom has kept to himself, mostly._ In fact he harasses most of the kids that get in his way, but he has yet to be caught in the act. Dennis and Amy have been scarred, maybe permanently; they spent most of their time in bed or talking to psychiatrists for most of the month following their trip to the beach. Tom found that very humorous when he heard.

At this exact moment, Tom was in his room, just sitting, and thinking mechanically. One wouldn't have to be a mind-reader to tell what he was thinking about: his father. The fact that Tom had been abandoned greatly disturbed him, and although he was full of bitterness and spite, didn't want to give up completely on his father. Although he would never admit it aloud, he hoped that his father would still come and rescue him.

"He's got to come some time. He has got to." Tom whispered to himself. _Oh shut up Riddle! If your father ever loved you, you wouldn't be in this orphanage right now! He hates you and you know it, just like your mother! _"No, that's not true, he has to come. He wouldn't leave me, daddy." Although Tom was speaking in gibberish, the point came across clearly, he still thought of his dad as the aviator with the plane who would rescue him, even though he hadn't come once in the eleven years Tom had resided in the orphanage. _Admit it Riddle, if he had cared for you he would have come by now. He wouldn't have left you here with these imbeciles, these nitwits. _"Shut up! Just shut up, I know he is going to come back!"

Tom could hear footsteps, and he knew they would come in his room in a second, he knew they were coming, it was something special he could do, he prided himself in being able to hear these footsteps. So Tom quickly wiped his eyes and nose, and to the world no one could have guessed he had just been crying and yelling at himself, he grabbed a book and jumped on top of his bed, looking innocent, when Mrs. Cole and a strange looking man with a weird suit and auburn hair and beard came in. He gazed intently at his book, although he wasn't really reading.

"Tom? You've got a visitor. This is Mr. Dumberton – sorry, Dunderbore. He's come to tell you – well, I'll let him do it." Mrs. Cole started, and she left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

_Oh no, not another doctor, they don't want to take me to an asylum do they? What was she talking about? What does _he _want to tell _me

"How do you do, Tom?" The man with strange clothes and auburn hair asked. _He looks peculiar, but not out of place, odd, but not his appearances that make him so…strange._ The strange looking man offered Tom his hand, "I am Professor Dumbledore."

"'Professor'?" It sounded strange to Tom's tongue. _She is not taking me to the loony bin, no way! _"Is that like 'doctor'? What are you here for? Did _she _get you in to have a look at me?" Tom pointed at the door, although he was completely absolutely sure it had been Mrs. Cole, she had never liked him.

"No, no." Professor Dumbledore was smiling. _What does he think so funny? I am most certainly not mad. _He _is the one that looks mad._

"I don't believe you," Tom started to say. "She wants me looked at, doesn't she? Tell the truth!" _You ass! You will not get your hands on me! Leave me alone! _Tom had done it again, he had started to use his magical energy (unbeknownst to him it was magic)…

it didn't work. Tom was awfully put out by this, he was used to getting what he wanted from his victims.

"Who are you?" Tom asked sourly.

"I have told you. My name is Professor Dumbledore and I work at a school called Hogwarts. I have come to offer you a place at my school – your new school, if you would like to come." _He still won't tell me! Who does he think I am? I am not so easily misled as that!_

"You can't kid me! The asylum, that's where you're from, isn't it? 'Professor,' yes of course – well, I'm not going, see? That old cat's the one who should be in the asylum. I never did anything to little Amy Benson or Dennis Bishop, and you can ask them, they'll tell you!" Tom was furious, he wasn't going to the asylum, he wasn't insane!

"I am not from the asylum, I am a teacher and, if you will sit down calmly, I shall tell you about Hogwarts. Of course, if you would rather not come to the school, nobody will force you-" Dumbledore was cut off.

_Like they could! No one can tell me what to do! _"I'd like to see them try."

"Hogwarts, is a school for people with special abilities-" Dumbledore was again interrupted.

_There he goes again! I am not insane! _"I'm not mad!"

"I know that you are not mad. Hogwarts is not a school for mad people. It is a school of magic." Dumbledore said quite factually and calmly.

_Eh? What did he say? Did I hear him right, magic?_ "Magic?" Tom could hardly get the word out.

"That's right." Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling again.

"It's…it's magic, what I can do?" Tom was excited. _I am special, I can do magic!_

"What is that you can do?" Dumbledore asked inquisitively, although Tom didn't mind his curiousness.

"All sorts," _I'll tell him what I can do! I'm boundless! _"I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to." _Much more, oh yes, I can do so much more._

"I knew I was different." He was in prayer, or it seemed like it. "I knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something." _So much I can do! I'm limitless!_

"Well, you were quite right," Dumbledore was staring strangely at Tom now. "You are a wizard."

_He says it as if it isn't such a big deal! He says it as though I can't change the world to my liking! What is he, not sane, with this kind of power I could – wait a moment. _"Are you a wizard too?"

"Yes, I am." The tall man said, calmly.

_I doubt it, you're such a liar, such an ass._ "Prove it," _I've got you in a trap now you old fool._ "Tell the truth." Tom commanded.

Dumbledore's eyebrows raised in an unspoken question, "If, as I take it, you are accept-ing your place at Hogwarts –"

"Of course I am!" Tom interrupted quickly.

"Then you will address me as 'Professor' or 'sir.'" Dumbledore instructed with a serious look in his eyes, the twinkle of laughter was gone.

Tom's tone of voice changed, "I'm sorry, sir. I meant – please, Professor, could you show me –?"

Tom looked delighted when he saw Dumbledore pull a long thing piece of wood from the interior of his suit jacket. Dumbledore pointed his wand towards Tom's armoire in the corner, but the look of joy and interest in Tom's face quickly changed to anger and shock. _All my stuff's in there! What's he doing blowing it up? _For, yes indeed, the wardrobe was on fire. Tom's fists clenched and unclenched he was walking towards Dumbledore; then the fire was out. Gone, quenched, the flames just stopped.

Tom looked greedily at Dumbledore's wand. "Where can I get one of them?" _To think, all the things I could do with one of those. All the power I would have. Nobody would dare question me, my authority would be endless._

"All in good time, I think there is something trying to get out of your wardrobe." A knocking sound could be heard, as if something or someone was trying to get out.

"Open the door." Dumbledore commanded. Tom did so, there was his box shaking and rattling as if fit to burst. "Take it out."

Tom did what Dumbledore said. "Is there anything in that box that you ought not to have?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, I suppose so, sir." Tom said blandly. _Oh the nerve of him, I deserve to have these things and he better lay out of my affairs!_

"You will return them to their owners with your apologies. I shall know whether it has been done. And be warned: Thieving is not tolerated at Hogwarts." Dumbledore said in a serious tone.

Tom mumbled a, "Yes, sir" in response.

"At Hogwarts, we teach you not only to use magic, but to control it. You have –inadvertently, I am sure—been using your powers in a way that is neither taught nor tolerated at our school. You are not the first, nor will you be the last, to allow your magic to run away with you. But you should know that Hogwarts can expel students, and the Ministry of Magic—yes, there is a Ministry—will punish lawbreakers still more severely. All new wizards must accept that, in entering our world, they abide by our laws." Dumbledore lectured.

Tom mumbled another, "Yes, sir." Tom seemed to be thinking about something. "I haven't got any money."

"That is easily remedied," said Dumbledore, who handed the young boy a pouch filled with Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. "There is a fund at Hogwarts for those who require assistance to buy books and robes. You might have to buy some of your spellbooks and so on secondhand, but—"

"Where do you buy _spellbooks_?" Tom interrupted rather rudely, not thanking Dumbledore for the money he had just received.

"In Diagon Alley. I have your list of books and school equipment with me. I can help you find everything—"

_I don't want your help, you old fool!_ "You're coming with me?" Tom asked.

"Certainly, if you—" Dumbledore yet again was interrupted.

"I don't need you. I'm used to doing things for myself, I go round London on my own all the time. How do you get to this Diagon Alley—sir?" He said all this very quickly, not wasting a breath.

Dumbledore handed Tom his school supplies list and quickly told Tom how to get to the Leaky Cauldron. "You will be able to see it, although Muggles around you—non-magical people, that is—will not. Ask for Tom the barman—easy enough to remember, as he shares your name—"

Tom sighed as if that last sentence annoyed him more than the rest of Dumbledore's lecture.

"You dislike the name 'Tom'?" Dumbledore questioned.

"There are a lot of Toms," Tom sighed. _I am special. I am not like those other Toms, I have power unknown! _ Tom quickly switched the subject. "Was my father a wizard? He was called Tom Riddle too, they've told me." _He hates you! He hates you! You don't want to be a Tom!_

"I'm afraid I don't know," Dumbledore said softly.

"My mother can't have been magic, or she wouldn't have died." _Or maybe she hates you! If _I_ were magic _I _wouldn't want to die. Well she did, she hates you! _"It must've been him. So—when I've got all my stuff—when do I come to this Hogwarts?"

"All the details are on the second piece of parchment paper in your envelope. You will leave from King's Cross Station on the first of September. There is a train ticket in there too."

Tom nodded. Dumbledore stuck out his hand again, Tom took it this time. "I can speak to snakes. I found out when we've been to the country on trips—they find me, they whisper to me. Is that normal for a wizard?" _I doubt it, I am special. I am probably the only one. Talking to snakes, who else can? _

"It is unusual, but not unheard of." Dumbledore answered after taking a moment of thought.

"Good-bye, Tom. I shall see you at Hogwarts." Dumbledore bid farewell, leaving the room.

_I _am _special, I can speak to snakes. I have magic powers! I can do anything I want! Oh, the power, the ideas, what _I _want to do—it's all limitless! That old fool, he will look at me with weakness and adoration one day, for I, surely I, will be leader will be renown world wide!_

**I hope all you guys liked that! Sorry, to those who thought it boring, that chapter was necessary and I promise there won't be anything as talkity talk as that chapter again. I promise. If you would like to critique something, feel free, if you have ideas for this story please put it in a review, if you would like to comment/compliment me that's great too. Thanks for reading! Sorry for the long wait... oh, and did any of you notice something when Tom was thinking, he never ever said a word that has something to do with him, if you can review and tell me what that word is I'll put a special mention of you next chapter! **


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